I'm a little worried about what porsche will do with the next generation Cayman, sparked by another thread's comments. A base 991 has 350hp, I can't imagine a Cayman S getting more HP, I would love for a 370+hp Cayman R, but I'm afraid it won't happen.

I hope Porsche doesn't keep the Cayman as the little brother forever. I would love to see a GT3 style Cayman.

You can have a Cayman R with 370+ hp. Full exhaust, plenum and tune will get you there easily.
I too would love to see a Cayman R with even just the 997.2 S motor (385 hp). I would love to see a Cayman R with a GT3 RS 4.0 motor and Porsche Motorsports suspension even more. Nothing in the world would touch that thing...we can hope they will do it one day but it's unlikely.

You can have a Cayman R with 370+ hp. Full exhaust, plenum and tune will get you there easily.
I too would love to see a Cayman R with even just the 997.2 S motor (385 hp). I would love to see a Cayman R with a GT3 RS 4.0 motor and Porsche Motorsports suspension even more. Nothing in the world would touch that thing...we can hope they will do it one day but it's unlikely.

I'm a little worried about what porsche will do with the next generation Cayman, sparked by another thread's comments. A base 991 has 350hp, I can't imagine a Cayman S getting more HP, I would love for a 370+hp Cayman R, but I'm afraid it won't happen.

I hope Porsche doesn't keep the Cayman as the little brother forever. I would love to see a GT3 style Cayman.

They should keep the cayman/S under the standard 911 but produce the R with low 400s hp. This will give those who want a race Porsche a different option than the $100k + 911s. This would also not affect the sales of the cheaper 911s for those who do not care for power but rather luxury.

-Due to smaller engines in the 911 and Boxster/Cayman, getting more HP from simple bolt on mods are much harder than getting power from an M3
-Cayman is a very capable car from factory. The mid engine platform gives the Cayman a lot of traction and easiness to drive for any driver with any experience
-The new Cayman S will also feature a 3.4L Flat 6 as the Boxster S, and the base 991. The engine is a de-tuned base 991 engine. Meaning you can get more power with a simple tune.
-Porsche will always keep the Cayman the little brother to the 911. Otherwise it will kill the 911 sales
-The driving technique for 911 and M3 are completely different due to platforms (FR vs. RR)
-The M3 has advantage over the 911 in the weight bias. The M3's good weight bias will help going into the turns. The narrow tires of the M3 and having a lighter rear end will result in oversteer coming out of turns
-M3 has its disadvantage because of the hefty weight of the car
-M3s are certainly under-rubbered in the rear, but not on the front
-The 911 is light on the nose, meaning it will induce understeer going into turns. The technique to drive a 911 is this: slow in, fast out. The heavy rear weight will yield to better traction coming out of corners. So an M3 driver may keep up going into a turn, but will fall behind coming out.
-Mastering the skills to drive a 911 to its limits will certainly take longer than an M3

-Due to smaller engines in the 911 and Boxster/Cayman, getting more HP from simple bolt on mods are much harder than getting power from an M3
-Cayman is a very capable car from factory. The mid engine platform gives the Cayman a lot of traction and easiness to drive for any driver with any experience
-The new Cayman S will also feature a 3.4L Flat 6 as the Boxster S, and the base 991. The engine is a de-tuned base 991 engine. Meaning you can get more power with a simple tune.
-Porsche will always keep the Cayman the little brother to the 911. Otherwise it will kill the 911 sales
-The driving technique for 911 and M3 are completely different due to platforms (FR vs. RR)
-The M3 has advantage over the 911 in the weight bias. The M3's good weight bias will help going into the turns. The narrow tires of the M3 and having a lighter rear end will result in oversteer coming out of turns
-M3 has its disadvantage because of the hefty weight of the car
-M3s are certainly under-rubbered in the rear, but not on the front
-The 911 is light on the nose, meaning it will induce understeer going into turns. The technique to drive a 911 is this: slow in, fast out. The heavy rear weight will yield to better traction coming out of corners. So an M3 driver may keep up going into a turn, but will fall behind coming out.
-Mastering the skills to drive a 911 to its limits will certainly take longer than an M3

-Due to smaller engines in the 911 and Boxster/Cayman, getting more HP from simple bolt on mods are much harder than getting power from an M3
-Cayman is a very capable car from factory. The mid engine platform gives the Cayman a lot of traction and easiness to drive for any driver with any experience
-The new Cayman S will also feature a 3.4L Flat 6 as the Boxster S, and the base 991. The engine is a de-tuned base 991 engine. Meaning you can get more power with a simple tune.
-Porsche will always keep the Cayman the little brother to the 911. Otherwise it will kill the 911 sales
-The driving technique for 911 and M3 are completely different due to platforms (FR vs. RR)
-The M3 has advantage over the 911 in the weight bias. The M3's good weight bias will help going into the turns. The narrow tires of the M3 and having a lighter rear end will result in oversteer coming out of turns
-M3 has its disadvantage because of the hefty weight of the car
-M3s are certainly under-rubbered in the rear, but not on the front
-The 911 is light on the nose, meaning it will induce understeer going into turns. The technique to drive a 911 is this: slow in, fast out. The heavy rear weight will yield to better traction coming out of corners. So an M3 driver may keep up going into a turn, but will fall behind coming out.
-Mastering the skills to drive a 911 to its limits will certainly take longer than an M3

I have a 997.2 GT3, and I just sold, three days ago---a 08 M3 Sedan Base car.

M3 has NO weight advantage at all----yes the M3 is just about 50/50 front and rear.....but the extra 300 lbs all coming in the front don't really help the M3.

The M3 not will but DOES understeer going into turns because the tire to weight on the front of the car is way too small.

My GT3.....625 lbs each corner....8.5" wheels 235 19" tire vs the 245 of the M3 on a 8.5"...but the M3 has like an extra 275lbs on each front corner.

Im eager to see how much better the 981 Cayman R will be over its predecessor. I just sold my Boss 302, and ready to order a m3, I figured before making the decision to try out a few cars. One of the cars I drove was a 2012 Cayman R. Just as others have stated, it was a brilliant car. This was my first time driving a P car, and I was impressed. This was hands down the best handling car I have ever driven, it did everything well. It could use more power but I think the car was very well balanced. Lastly, I loved the sound of the car with the sport exhaust. In the end I couldn't justify spending 80k on it. I'd rather buy the m3 and mod it. I hope a modded m3 feels the same way or better.

I must say, after driving my cousin's 2006 Cayman S, that car handles on rails. Even in the wet, car didn't loose grip-obviously it has good gripping tires.
Well, If i had to choose another car, it would be the new cayman S.

The Boxster will be quite similar to the Cayman so here is what I saw:

- The car is a hell of a lot more comfortable compared to my moms '10 Cayman S
- Dual cone intake sounds epic
- Electric steering feels very light and the SA told me it will actually pull the steering wheel the opposite way you are steering when the car feels it is in danger, can't remember the exact situation
- PDK is BRUTAL on sport mode.
- Handles like it is on rails
- Dual boots is always a bonus on a small car
- A real screamer
- It's a Porsche so it will hold its value better than most cars

One thing I think you will miss is the power of your M3. The car is fun but when you mash the pedal you just wish there was a bit more power. Another point is yes it handles on rails but once you push it past its limit good luck catching it, this is from personal experience. Took a corner fast, traction control failed and started over steering and no matter what I did I couldn't catch it.

I personally prefer the Audi TT RS and i'm trading in my 335 for it over the Boxster S. Also an 8-9 month waiting time is a bit over board for a boxster.

Actually incorrect or at least I think so. The Cayman S/R competitor is the BMW E89 Z4MC and 1M. We have known this for years. Not the E92 M3. I was in the market for the Cayman this year and was not impressed. Looks were ok but power was slow and ride was a little rough but it seemed to handle well. I wouldn't buy an entry level Porsche though. Just me.

I do have to say this new Porsche looks great but does not have the ultimate speed/power I want.

I can only imagine what this is like... I was looking for a Cayman R but couldnt find one other than green. My friend picked up a boxster spyder a few days ago and he let me drive it around alone and told me to gun it hard. I am surprised how damn well it grips and turns. It makes my M3 feel like a joke. No body roll at all. The two P cars that blew my mind were the 911 GTS then his spyder. I drove the 991S while he was taking delivery and it didnt blow me away like the GTS but it was still amazing. The clutch and stick. I dont like how it has 7 gear for mt though. I will definitely check out the new Cayman S. It must be real promising.

Edit Btw I have 6mt and my friend has pdk in his spyder. His car creeps up to mine from 0- whatever but i have higher redline so he has a hard time passing because his pdk has to shift but his car is real close... Only did one run and chirped on 1-2. Very very fast...

Went to the P dealer yesterday to check out the 981 Boxsters. They had 2, 1 Boxster for $59k, and 1 Boxster S for $80k. The S was fully loaded with just about everything. Car looked gorgeous with the GT cutouts. BUT, they also had 2009 911S Cab with 7k miles that was also fully loaded at $80k. I would be hard pressed to pay $80k for a boxster, even if it's a new car. Yes, 2 very different cars. Just my $.02.

The Boxster will be quite similar to the Cayman so here is what I saw:

- The car is a hell of a lot more comfortable compared to my moms '10 Cayman S
- Dual cone intake sounds epic
- Electric steering feels very light and the SA told me it will actually pull the steering wheel the opposite way you are steering when the car feels it is in danger, can't remember the exact situation
- PDK is BRUTAL on sport mode.
- Handles like it is on rails
- Dual boots is always a bonus on a small car
- A real screamer
- It's a Porsche so it will hold its value better than most cars

One thing I think you will miss is the power of your M3. The car is fun but when you mash the pedal you just wish there was a bit more power. Another point is yes it handles on rails but once you push it past its limit good luck catching it, this is from personal experience. Took a corner fast, traction control failed and started over steering and no matter what I did I couldn't catch it.

I personally prefer the Audi TT RS and i'm trading in my 335 for it over the Boxster S. Also an 8-9 month waiting time is a bit over board for a boxster.